1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bus bar connector system and, especially, to such systems for usage in low voltage, residential type circuit breakers. Accordingly, it is the general object of this invention to provide new and improved devices of such character.
2. General Background
A commonly manufactured variety of bus bar connector system in the past has featured a spring clip which is located on one end of a molded circuit breaker housing. The spring clip served as an electrical connector and as part of the mounting means of the circuit breaker. Typically, a molded recessed portion (termed a "heel") in the opposite end of the circuit breaker housing cooperated with a metal tab in a panel board to provide the other part of the mounting means.
Usually, electric circuit breakers were installed in a panel board by placing the heel of the molded housing under the metal tab and pivoting the circuit breaker thereabout in a rotating manner until the spring clip, secured within the circuit breaker housing, engaged an extending blade of a panel board bus bar. Deflection of the spring clip, as it was pressed onto the bus bar blade created an electrical contact force as well as a gripping force that contributed to holding the circuit breaker in place.
In general, electrical panel boards have been provided with a plurality of extended formed bus bar blades located on one inch centers for housing circuit breakers which were typically one inch wide. However, many manufacturers provide a family of residential circuit breakers, having the features described hereinabove, in which the circuit breakers have widths in one half inch increments so that two "half inch" circuit breakers may share a single bus bar blade or, alternatively, be placed between two bus bar blades. Thus, the panel board is adapted to accommodate both one inch wide breakers, half inch wide breakers and two inch wide two pole breakers.
To optimize the economical use of bus bar blades and to facilitate the planning of electric circuit protection, it is desirable to provide a half inch wide circuit breaker that is able to be mounted in a panel board in the manner described hereinabove. Various systems which have been developed in the past have various disadvantages. Some are costly, some are complicated and some are not reliable.
One disadvantage of a particular prior bus bar connector system was that a particular one half inch wide circuit breaker could not be installed on a bus bar blade that was already occupied by a mating circuit breaker. It was necessary to remove the installed breaker, couple it with its mate, and mount them simultaneously. Such inconvenience has brought about some user difficulty.
A family of low voltage residential type circuit breakers that has been commercially available include single pole and double pole constructions. The electrical contact force and connection integrity between such a double pole circuit breaker connector and an associated bus bar was dependent on a multiplicity of components and their respective manufacturing tolerances including, for example, a copper contact, a copper contact back-up spring, cases and covers of a four piece molded plastic housing, rivets that combine the case and cover of an individual pole of a two pole circuit breaker, and rivets that combine the two poles together to form a double pole circuit breaker.
3. Statement under 37 CFR 1.56
In compliance with a duty of candor and good faith to be maintained with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the following patents are called to its attention, copies of which are forwarded thereto. Although applicant became aware of these patents by virtue of a preliminary novelty search performed on his behalf, this statement is not to be construed that a search has in fact been performed.
______________________________________ Patentee U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Douglas 2,145,165 Jan. 24, 1939 Sanda 2,617,844 Nov. 11, 1952 Gelzheiser et al 3,333,078 July 25, 1967 Kobryner 3,423,723 Jan. 21, 1969 Belttary 4,351,583 Sept. 28, 1982 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 2,145,165 to Douglas discloses a terminal post and a spring wire wherein a plug conductor terminal is clamped between a wire and a conductor post.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,844 to Sanda discloses a wire connector including a spring member passing through and bending around a portion of a guide member, the connector having a conductive base.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,078 to Gelzheiser et al is included for its general showing wherein its housing, allegedly, does not affect the contact pressure between terminal and stab.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,723 to Kobryner discloses a spring which passes around a leg of a conductor wherein a blade would be held between a leg of the spring and a leg of the conductor with clamping action supplied by the spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,583 to Belttary discloses electrical terminal comprising an electrical contact and a reinforcing member. The electrical contact includes a strip of metal of flexible material having good electrical conductivity and having at least a portion formed as a generally U-shaped member having a bight portion and having spaced arms. The reinforcing member is resilient, generally U-shaped and is arranged substantially without the U-shaped member contact and embraces the arms.